WORKHOUSE

Beyond my working years at Interview for Ingrid Sischy, one of the world’s greatest editors, a professional high point came when I was elected to serve as a producer of Interview Magazine’s 30th Anniversary in concert with our client David LaChapelle. Workhouse won the account upon opening our doors. It was before we were truly staffed and did so with two weeks notice. A tremendous win for a fledgling agency. That was until we realized the magazine didn’t have a budget. Something Andy Warhol and Interview were famous for. For us, it meant aligning massive corporate sponsors over 10 working days to even build the thing. A seemingly impossible task given I was on assignment with LaChapelle in Paris. Melding the launch of David’s forthcoming book into the anniversary allowed us to transform New York’s Kit Kat Club — a nightclub on the fringes of a then seedy Times Square — into a debaucherous ‘Hotel LaChapelle’. The room was filled with massive rows of twin beds, night stands, bibles, alarm clocks, neon signs, topless Bell boys adorned with pasties and suspenders, giant inflatable dolls, cupcakes by Donatella Versace, and an effervescent Amanda Lepore leaping out of a giant birthday cake. Elton John, Lil' Kim, and Groove Armada performed before a who's who of arrivals including Mick Jagger, Julian Schnabel, Liz Hurley, Demi Moore, Mira Sorvino, Olivier Martinez, Sean "Puffy" Combs, Russell Simmons, Iman, Joel Schumacher, Barry Diller, Diane Von Furstenberg, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Christina Ricci, Willem Dafoe, Tom Ford, Michael Kors, Todd Oldham, Larry Fink, Graydon Carter, Jon Bon Jovi, Miluccia Prada, Andre Harrell, Helmut Lang, Gus Van Sant, Chole Sevigny, Fran Lebowitz, Moby, Cindy Sherman, Jane Holzer, Gabby Hoffman, Thora Birch, Harmony Korine, Paul Morrissey, Fab Five Freddy, Francesco Clemente and Edward Furlong and so on. It was straight Warhol circa 1999. The kind of electric night you couldn’t completely comprehend. Nights now left to nostalgic wine and roses.